Cigarette ejector



Feb. 4, 1941. G. BRElTwxEsER CIGARETTE EJECTOR Filed Feb. 23, 1939 Cil Patented Feb.. 4, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT FFiCE 2,230,675 loicuuuitrrn iTioToR George Breitwieser, Flushing, N. Y. Application February 23, 1939, Serial No. 257,837

This invention relates to cigarette ejectors, and has for its object to provide such an ejector which may be readily filled, and from which the cigarettes may be ejected one by one.

For this purpose, the invention consists of a cylindrical casing having the cigarettes disposed therein in a circular row, with a spacer passing the cigarettes, so that the end cigarette may be pushed upon a piston which is vertically movable and the cigarette discharged from an opening in the cover of the casing.

The invention comprises means to move the cigarette to the piston; means to move a cigarette vertically out of the casing; means to return the parts to initial position, and means to lock the parts when all cigarettes have been discharged, separately and in combination.

The invention will be described hereinafter, embodiments thereof shown in the drawing, and the invention will be iinally pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a vertical central section taken on line of Figure 2;

Figure 2 is a horizontal section on line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical section on line 3 3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a partial sectional view like Figure 2, but showing the ejector in non-operative position after all cigarettes have been used up, taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a perspective View of the piston enclosing member;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the piston member; and

Figure 7 is al sectional view of a modified form of piston moving means.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the various views.

Referring to the drawing, and more particularly to Figure l, the ejector has a cylindrical shape, with a cover having a central operating button at the top thereof, and an opening for the ejection of single cigarettes. The ejectormay be filled by removing the cover, and after inserting the cigarettes again closing it.

The casing lil has the cover providedwith a central opening I3 for the passage of the button I4. rlhe cover has a rim I5 to engage the top end of the casing. The cover Ilalsoha's an opening it for the passage of a single'cigarette when being ejected.

Within the casing lil, at its bottom, is a ridge (c1. amarsi a slot 24, and a bent over portion 25. Upon the 10 bent over portion a spring 26 is seated, the other end of which extends upwardly and presses against the wall 2l. The action of the spring 26 is to press the piston downwardly, this being its normal position. A U-shaped enclosing member 3E) has an elongated slot 3l therein and is secured to the casing ||i by rivets 32. One leg 33 of the U-shaped member engages a slot 34 in the lower end of the piston 2|, so as to permit the piston to be guided by the member 30, in ver- 20 tical up and down direction. Secured to the member 39 by soldering or the like, is a pair of .vertically spaced discs 3G and 3l, held spaced by a tubular member 3B provided with collars 39 and upsets 40. A spring 4| is disposed between 25 the lower surface of the upper disc 36, and a collar 42, which surrounds the tube 38, from which extends outwardly an arm 43 which supports the spacer 44 about the length of a cigarette and which is slightly curved to embrace a'side of a"30 cigarette. The spring 4| has the tendency to push` the cigarette immediately in front of the spacer 44, in the direction of the arrow 451 in Figure 2, that is, towards the piston 2|. When the casing is filled with cigarettes, the spacer 44 acts"35 upon all of the cigarettes., pushing the one farthest away upon the piston 2|. The cigarettes 4 6 rest on the ridge and are guided in upright position circumferentially in the space between the 4o casing and discs 36 and 3l.A 4

Within the tubular member 38,79. rod Ilia secured :to the button |4 is Acapa'bleof being moved up and down, the button `I4 having a collar 4l to limit lthe upward movement of the rod lila. To the tubular member 3S is secured a `bracket 48 having `a shaft 49 to which a lever 53 is pivoted. This lever 5H has a hook-shaped portion 5| entering through a slot 52 in .the tube 38; and eX- ten-ding into' the path of the rod |44. 50 extends at ythe other side of its pivot, within the slot 2:4 of the piston 2|. When the button is pressed downwardly, the rod Ilia pushes the portion 5| downwardly, which raises Ithe end 53 upwardly,'and hence the piston 2|. A cigarette The lever pushed onto the part 2i) is thereby raised upwardly and moved out of the opening I6 of the cover ll. When the button I4 has been rel-eased,

vthe spring 26 returns the piston 2l to its normal downward position, the lower 50 pushing the rod |42* with its button I4 upwards to normal position. After one cigarette has been ejected, the action of the spring 4I causes the next adjacent cigarette, through the pressure exerted by the spacer 44, to move from the ridge l1 to the part 22 of the piston 2'I.

After all the cigarettes have been ejected, the spacer 44 is .pressed against the member 30, and

thereby takes `a position above the part 20 and locks the part in position, in that any downward pressure on the button I4 is blocked, since the piston 2i is not able to move upwardly by reason of the obstruction presented by the spacer 44.

In Figure 7 is shown la modified form of piston moving means, in which the piston 2|V is `connected with a iiexible wire 60, at one end thereof, there being a presser member BI at the other end of the wire 60. The wire 60 is within a tubular casing 62 secured to the plate 36 and to the plate 31, passing through both. The .tubular member 62 has an indented Apart 63 to form a seat for the end of the spring 64, the other end of which abuts against the presser member 6I. The tubular member is curved as shown by 65. When this member 6l is pressed against the action of the spring, the end of the rod 60 secured to the piston 2| moves the piston upwardly, and when pressure is released the spring returns the presser member to its original position.

The invention .then provides means to act upon circularly arranged cigarettes pressed in the direction of a piston which is ra-ised to eject one cigarette after the other, by pressure applied exterior of the casing upon a button operating a centrally disposed rod, connected by a lever with the cigarette holding piston, which is guided vertically so as to eject a cigarette vertically through an opening in registrati-on with the lcigarette supporting part of the piston. When the cigarettes have all .been ejected, a backing action prevents further movement of the parts, and this acts as a signal to rell the casing.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not Wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations, modifications and adapt-ations as come within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an article dispensing machine, a casing, stop means in said casing, a support for the articles in said casing, said support terminating at one end adjacent said stop means and spaced from the latter approximately the width of an article, ejecting means movable in the space between said end of the support and said stop means, means for actuating said ejecting means, and yieldable follower means for urging the articles in sequence -against said stop means, said follower means being so constructed and arranged with relation 'to said stop means that when the follower means engages against said stop means as .a result of the exhausting of the articles from the machine, said stop means will maintain said follower means overl-apped with the ejecting means in the direction of ejection to prevent actuation of said ejecting means.

2. In an article dispensing machine, a casing, guide means fixed in said cas-ing and having a stop member, a support in the casing for .the articles -to be dispensed, said support terminating at one end adjacent said stop member, yieldable follower means for urging the articles in succession along said guide means and against said stop memebr, an ejecting piston movable in said guide means and straddling said stop mem-ber with a portion on ythe support side of said stop member for receiving an article directly on said piston for ejection from said casing, and means for actuating said piston.

3. In an article dispensing machine, a casing, a hollow guide xed to said casing and having a stop Wall, a support in the casing for articles .to be vended having an end spaced from said stop wall, a yieldable follower adapted to urge said articles along the support across the space and against said stop wall, a piston lying normally in the space between said stop wall and the adjacent end of said support for receiving an article forced against said stop wall, said piston having a portion lying within said hollow guide and con7 nected with the piston -across said stop wall, means movable through said guide having connection to said piston for moving the latter to eject an article, and means for actuating said last-named means.

4. In an article dispensing machine, a casing, a tubular guide fixed in said casing and having a foreshortened st-op wall, a support in the :casing for articles tobedispensed, said support terminating at one end adjacent said stop Wall and spaced from the latter, follower means for yieldably urging the articles in succession against said stop wall, a piston having portions within and without said tubular guide and having a slot .to receive said foreshortened stop Wall, the portion of the piston outside said guide lying in the space between said stop wall and support and adapted to receive the articles from the support which are lodged against said stop wall, yieldable means in said guide urging said .piston into initial inoperative position, means playing movably through said guide and engaging said piston for throwing the latter in the act of ejecting the article against the influence `of said yieldable means, and means for actuating said last named means.

5. In an article dispensing machine, a substantially cylindrical casing for containing articles to be dispensed arranged in a circular series, a gui-de fixed in said casing including a stop wall, yieldabie means for urging Ithe -articles in succession against said stop wall, an ejecting plunger having parts thereof extending on both sides of said stop wall with one part thereof positioned to receive the article held against said stop wall, piston carrying means on the other side of the stop wall movable in said guide, a central actuating means mounted substantially centrally `of the casing, a movable connection actuated by said actuating means and having a part playing through said guide and engaging the piston carrying means for operating the same on its ejecting movement, .and yieldable means for returning and yieldably maintaining said piston in its initial position.

6. In an article dispensing machine, a lcasing rfor the articles to be dispensed, a guide secured in said casing and having a stop wall, a piston having parts extendingv on opposite sides of said wall and in part guided thereby, means for yieldably maintaining the piston in a low position for receiving articles, non-rotative discs secured to said guide and forming with the casing a curved chamber for the ar-ticles, a non-rotative tube connected between said discs, a follower member for engaging behind said articles having a part rotatably mounted about said tube, actuating means movably mounted through said tube, and a lever `carried by said tube having one end positioned to be engaged by said actuating means and the other end playing Athrougl'i said guide for moving said piston.

'7. In an article `dispensing machine, va casing, guide means fixed in said casing and having a stop member, a support in the casing for the arwith a portion lon the support side of said stop member for receiving an article directly on said piston for ejection from said casing, and a U- shaped iieXible Wire connected at one end to said 10 ejecting ,piston for actuating the latter.

GEORGE BREITWIESER. 

